Beseunara
Beseunara is a country on the continent of Tresmont. It is bordered by Tamerica to the south, Rhedina to the north, Oglita to the east, and Enilva to the southeast. It has a coastline on Beseunara Bay. Beseunara was founded in 1723 as a union of three smaller kingdoms. From 1807 to 1821, it was occupied by Tamerican forces. The kingdom was reinstated after the occupation. In 1926, the Beseunaran Revolution began. The rebels won, and in 1929, Beseunara became a republic. However, the monarchy was reinstated after the republic fell in 1951, and Beseunara's current republic did not form until 1988. History Early monarchy (1723-1896) Beseunara was founded by its first king, James Hundrens, in 1723 as the union of three smaller kingdoms. Beseunara did not fight any wars or make any foreign alliances until 1804, when it was invaded by Tamerica. The reigning king, Joseph, who was James' great-grandson, was overthrown in 1807. He escaped to Oglita, where he remained until 1821, when Tamerica lost Beseunara to Triple Alliance forces. Joseph was reinstated as king in 1822, although he died two years later. His son, Alexander, replaced him. In 1841, Alexander sent troops to invade Tamerica along with the Triple Alliance countries. Although the invasion failed, the Triple Alliance countries signed an 1846 treaty promising to protect Beseunara in case of a Tamerican invasion. This was considered Alexander's "final accomplishment" before his death in 1847. After Alexander's death, Beseunara was briefly ruled by his son Louis until Louis's death in 1850. Louis was then replaced by his son Andrew. In 1871, Andrew sent troops to Sundry Corner to defend it from Tamerican forces. However, Sundry Corner capitulated to Tamerica that same year. In 1894, Andrew died, ending the longest reign in Beseunaran history. He was replaced by his son Alexander II. Tamerican alliance (1896-1924) Alexander II was unpopular and considered to be a weak leader, and Tamerican leaders took advantage of this. In June 1896, a Tamerican-funded revolution began, led by Alexander's brother Henry. The rebels wanted to establish a system similar to the Tamerican Society in Beseunara. The rebels began to occupy more and more land in Beseunara. In March 1897, when the rebels had occupied about 20 percent of the country, Alexander announced that he would begin negotiations with the rebels. That September, he signed a treaty allowing slaves to be imported to Beseunara. He also agreed to rule with Henry, so any royal decrees made would have to be approved by both kings Henry and Alexander. Alexander was assassinated in 1899, and Henry declared himself the sole king of Beseunara. He died in 1910 and was succeeded by his son Michael. Revolution and Republican rule (1924-1933) When the Third Great Slave Revolt occupied 40% of Tamerica in 1924, Michael declared that troops would be sent to Tamerica to help end the revolt. Although the war achieved immediate success, it was unpopular due to the large number of casualties suffered by the Beseunaran army and the military draft initiated by Michael. In August 1926, a revolt led by Hans Olstead began in opposition to the Beseunaran government and Tamerica and in support of Grande Hutte and the abolition of slavery. In September 1928, the rebels captured and imprisoned the royal family. Olstead announced that elections would be held to determine the President and Congress of Beseunara in June 1929. Olstead won the elections along with his Republican Party. The Republicans promised not to punish former Royalists and Tamers, but they did free the slaves. They also promised not to declare war on Tamerica or any other country, but they did form an alliance with Grande Hutte. Royalists were able to win some seats in Congress, but not a majority. In 1932, the Beseunaran economy entered a depression. George Zundenberg, a leader of the revolution and the leader of the more extreme Free Radical Party, blamed the Republicans and the Tamers, saying, "The Republicans have failed to punish the Tamers and the Royalists for their greed. Now, the greed has infected our economy and caused a depression. Slavery will never end until the Tamers are punished. Monarchy will never end until the royalists are out of power. The depression will never end until the Free Radical Party is elected to Congress and to the presidency." Zundenberg was elected president in the June 1933 elections. Zundenberg administration (1933-1940) Zundenberg took office in October 1933. In December, the royal family was executed in a series of public electrocutions. These executions were the first uses of the electric chair in Beseunaran history. Zundenberg said that the executions symbolized the end of the monarchy, and the use of the new electric chair symbolized the technological, social, and economic progress to come under the Free Radicals. In 1934, executions of lower-level royal officials began. The economy began to improve that spring, which Zundenberg said was a sign of "the greed being purged". The Free Radicals gained seats in Congress in the 1935 midterm elections. In March 1936, Zundenberg ordered that all former Tamers in Beseunara were to be executed, fulfilling a major campaign promise. Executions began shortly afterwards. Zundenberg won re-election in 1937. In October 1937, the Royalist party was banned from Beseunara. In November 1937, Beseunara declared war on Tamerica. The war reached a stalemate early on, but in May 1938, Beseunaran troops occupied Border Beach. That summer, they also occupied islands in the Toptopolis and Lake Gardens provinces. In October 1938, Beseunara occupied Factoryland. In April 1939, Beseunara suffered a major defeat at Toptopolis. The Free Radicals lost popularity, and the Republicans took control over the lower house of Congress in the 1939 midterm elections. Hans Olstead was assassinated in November 1939. In June 1940, a Republican-led investigation announced that Zundenberg had ordered the assassination. Because the investigation documents were later destroyed by the Counter-Revolutionaries, it is unknown if the investigation was genuine or if the Republicans simply wanted to remove Zundenberg from power. In August 1940, the Beseunara-Tamerica border returned to its former location after a treaty signed by Zundenberg and Tamerican president Luvalvuluvrev. Counter-Revolution (1940-1952) In October 1940, the Counter-Revolution, led by former Beseunaran vice president Francis Stevenson, who served under Olstead, began. It was supported by both Republicans and Royalists and funded by Tamerica until 1944. Ironically, Zundenberg declared martial law and declared himself dictator in 1941. The civil war was long and had many casualties, but rebels eventually occupied Beseunara City in 1945 and killed Zundenberg. However, the Counter-Revolution was not done. The Royalists, led by former duke Christopher Steubes, fought the Republicans, led by Stevenson, in the second half of the Counter-Revolution, which began in 1947. The Royalists, funded by Tamerica, won the war, and Steubes was crowned king of Beseunara in August 1951, 25 years after the Revolution began, while Stevenson was executed. In 1952, Beseunara began allowing the importation of slaves from Tamerica. Transition to democracy (1952-1996) Steubes died in 1986, and his son, Andrew, became the next king of Beseunara. On 1 February 1988, Andrew established a republic, and he was elected its first president. He became the leader of the Steubes-Republican Alliance (SRA). Andrew was re-elected to a second four-year term in 1992. Beseunara remained allied with Tamerica throughout Andrew's time as president. Second revolution (1996-2001) In 1996, Andrew retired, and his son and vice president, James, ran for president. However, he faced opposition from the Anti-Royalist Emancipation Party (AREP), led by George Gunthers. The AREP promised to abolish slavery and void the alliance with Tamerica. However, the abolition of slavery would require a constitutional amendment. James Steubes claimed victory in the election and was inaugurated as president, and Gunthers conceded. However, in August 1997, an ICON investigation revealed its findings that the Steubes administration had altered the election results. When Steubes refused to resign, Gunthers ordered a revolt. The revolt was unsuccessful at first, but in May 1998, Grandutian secret agents assassinated seven key Steubes administration leaders, including Steubes himself. Secretary of Agriculture Michael Nuptal, who had little knowledge of military issues, became president, and the rebels began gaining territory. Their gains slowed down in 1999, after Grande Hutte stopped funding them, but they continued to gain territory. However, in April 2000, general Victor Muopnin became president. Although most of Beseunara was under rebel control, the government regained territory under Muopnin, and the rebels were defeated in June 2001. Gunther fled to Oglita. While the revolution failed, many slaves were able to escape Beseunara when their cities were under rebel control. Pro-Tamerica republic (2001-2018) In the 2002 midterm elections, the AREP took control of the Beseunaran Senate, but lost it in 2004, never to regain it. Muopnin was re-elected in 2004 and 2008, and subsequent investigations failed to find evidence of vote count alteration. In 2010, Beseunara abolished slavery, leaving Tamerica as the only country where slavery was legal. However, Beseunara remained allied with Tamerica. Muopnin's son, Hector, was elected president in 2012 and re-elected in 2016, and he is still president today.